There has heretofore been known a gate-type shifter assembly 100 for an automatic transmission of an automotive vehicle, as shown in FIG. 5A. The gate-type shifter assembly 100 has a gate passage including an automatic-mode gate passage segment 101 for shifting the transmission in an automatic mode and a manual-mode gate passage segment 102 for shifting the transmission in a manual mode. The automatic-mode gate passage segment 101 includes a park position P, a reverse position R, a neutral position N and a drive position D to define a curved shift pattern between the respective positions, and the manual-mode gate passage segment 102 includes a shift-up position (+) and a shift-down position (−) which are disposed on the side of the drive position D. These gate passage segments 101, 102 are configured to guide a shaft 103a of a shift lever 103.
As shown in FIG. 6 wherein the front side of the drawing sheet corresponds to the front side of the vehicle, a shift mechanism of the shifter assembly includes the shift lever supported swingably about its lower end 103b in the frontward/rearward or longitudinal direction and the rightward/leftward or lateral direction of the vehicle, a sliding block 104 adapted to be engaged with the shift lever 103 and moved in the longitudinal direction when the shift lever 103 is manipulated along the automatic-mode gate passage segment 101, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6, so as to move a shift block (not shown) coupled with the sliding block 104 and a cable (not shown) connected between the shift block and the transmission to shift the transmission in the automatic mode, and a support member 115 swingably supporting the lower end 103b of the shift lever 103.
The sliding block 104 is formed as a fork-shaped body having an engagement recess 104a. When the shift lever 103 is manipulated along the automatic-mode gate passage segment 101, the shaft 103a of the shift lever 103 is received in and engaged with the engagement recess 104a so that the transmission is shifted in the automatic mode, as described above. On the other hand, when the shift lever 103 is inclined in the lateral direction, and moved from the drive position D of the automatic-mode gate passage segment 101 into the manual-mode gate passage segment 102 (see FIG. 5B), the shaft 103a is disengaged from the engagement recess 104 as shown in the arrow a to preclude the sliding block 104 from being moved and immobilize the cable (not shown), so that the transmission is shifted in the manual mode.
In the conventional shifter assembly, when the shift lever 103 is slidably moved along the gate passage 101, 102, the shaft 103a of the shift lever 103 hits against the corners and the ends of the gate passage to generate undesirable hitting sounds or noises. In addition, additional hitting noise is generated between the shaft 103a and the sliding block 104 when the shift lever 103 is returned from the manual-mode gate passage segment 102 to the drive position D of the automatic-mode gate passage segment 101.